(LONDON) After five years in London, Indian-origin creator Jigeesha Gupta has returned to India and sparked a wider public conversation about what long stays abroad mean for young students and early-career professionals.
In a series of posts reflecting on her time overseas, she described a journey that began at 19 with “dreams bigger than my suitcase,” moved through “the loneliness of those first winter nights,” and matured into the confidence and friendships that helped her “stand tall through any storm.” Her homecoming underscores the growing reality that international study and work are not always a one-way path; many leave, grow, and later come back with new skills—and mixed feelings about home and belonging.
Gupta’s remarks echo across large communities of Indian students and workers who move abroad each year for degrees and starter jobs, often on student visas—like F‑1 in the United States 🇺🇸—or early-career work routes. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, these moves offer opportunity but also reshape identity in ways that become most clear at the moment of return.
Several followers said Gupta’s words captured their own struggle. One wrote, “Left India when I was 17, lived in UK for five years, moved back home… I feel each word of yours.” Another said, “It’s been 3 months, I still can’t accept the reality…”
The return that isn’t a goodbye
Gupta stressed that stepping off the plane in India did not erase London. “I’m carrying pieces of two worlds, two cultures, two versions of home,” she wrote, adding it’s “not a goodbye to London—it’s hello to the next chapter.” That dual feeling—gratitude for the city that shaped her and the pull of family, culture, and place—will be familiar to many who study or start their careers abroad.
It also points to a practical truth: reverse culture shock can be as sharp as the first shock of arrival overseas. Work norms, social cues, and even routine errands can feel unfamiliar after five years in a different system.
For students, the pattern often begins with a leap for higher education and first jobs. The early months can bring isolation before friendships form. Gupta’s post describes this arc: cold first nights, then the “joy of finding my tribe,” then heartbreak, then a string of wins that once felt out of reach. Those steps build resilience—assets that matter just as much when people come home.
Careers rarely move in straight lines either. Alumni communities and mentors can open doors abroad, then again back home. Employers in India often value international exposure, yet returnees can face questions about:
- local experience,
- pay scales,
- and role fit.
Some struggle to explain how overseas internships or part-time work translate to the home market. Others find their global network helps them land roles that need cross-border skills.
Practical issues behind the emotion
Alongside the emotion sits a long list of practical tasks. Returnees may have to deal with:
- Tax residency questions
- Foreign bank accounts
- Timing the return to match hiring cycles
- Assets held in two countries
They must learn how each country treats overseas income and what records to keep. In Gupta’s case, her words focus on identity and growth, but the reaction from readers shows that paperwork, money matters, and job searches loom large in the months after landing.
Lessons for students planning to move abroad
Students still planning their move can take specific lessons from Gupta’s reflection:
- Expect highs and lows. The first year may be lonely; the second may bring trusted friends.
- Build links early—with classmates, alumni, and faculty. Those links help in job hunts and later if you return home.
- Keep a simple record of key dates, visa periods, and employment history. That makes future applications and background checks easier.
- Think about the end of the overseas chapter from the start. Whether you stay abroad or return, a plan helps reduce stress.
Support systems: institutions, advisors, and policymakers
For Indian institutions and advisors, Gupta’s story is a cue to widen support. Help shouldn’t stop at graduation. Recommended actions include:
- Alumni groups that include returnees who can speak candidly about re-entry.
- Career centers coaching on translating overseas experience for local employers.
- Continued mental health services—on campus and after graduation.
Policymakers can also read this moment: mobility today is multi-directional. It’s not only “India to abroad to permanent stay.” Many come back, bringing global skills, fresh methods, and networks that can boost local firms.
Suggested policy and private-sector measures:
- Programs that welcome returnees (mentoring, fair evaluation of overseas work, easier recognition of experience)
- Hiring practices that value transferable skills rather than only job titles
Identity, family, and social dynamics
Gupta’s posts touch on identity in ways forms never will. Five years in London can change how someone sees community, independence, and ambition. Young people often find a “version of me that could dream fearlessly” away from home, then try to protect that growth after returning.
Families can support by giving space for that new self to settle, while friends can help by avoiding quick judgments about “staying” or “coming back.” Home is not a simple switch; it’s a mix.
“It’s hello to the next chapter.” — A reminder that returning does not erase what you became abroad.
Immigration basics and resources
For readers weighing a degree or job abroad, immigration basics still matter. Student routes and early work options set the frame for what’s possible.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security resource on F‑1 students explains common steps, from school admission to maintaining status: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/2015/01/f-1-students
Even if your plan points to the UK, official information like this shows how study pathways work: status rules, on-campus work limits, and what happens after graduation. Knowing the timeline helps you set realistic goals for internships, job searches, and—eventually—decisions about staying or returning.
Practical checklist before you return home
If you’re already abroad, review the basics before you head home:
- Check contract end dates and lease terms
- Confirm tax filing duties and travel permissions
- Gather references and letters while you’re still local
- Map the first 100 days after return: which city, which field, which contacts, which budget
A simple first-100-days plan might include:
- Weekly: job applications and networking outreach
- Monthly: skills goals and progress reviews
- Ongoing: mentor check-ins and mental-health support
Small steps bring control during a major life shift.
Final takeaways
Gupta’s words land because they’re honest. She’s not the same person who left, and she knows “it’s hello to the next chapter.” For many who spent five years away—or any long stretch—the chapter ahead will draw on both worlds.
That, more than any label, is what modern mobility looks like: non-linear, complex, and enriched by experience across borders.
This Article in a Nutshell
Jigeesha Gupta’s return to India after five years in London has sparked public conversation about how international study and early-career work reshape identity and careers. Her reflections describe loneliness, friendship formation, resilience and carrying pieces of two cultures. Returnees commonly face reverse culture shock and practical hurdles—tax residency, foreign bank accounts, asset management and aligning return timing with hiring cycles. Students are advised to build networks early, keep accurate visa and employment records, and plan for reintegration with a 100-day strategy. Institutions and policymakers can support returnees via alumni mentoring, career coaching to translate overseas experience, and programs that value transferable skills. Overall, modern mobility is non-linear: returning can bring global skills that enrich local firms but requires practical and social support.
